Sports Betting on Social Media

With Spring Racing Carnival in full swing and the Melbourne Cup just around the corner, I can’t help but notice all of the sports betting advertising being pumped out, from TV to radio, to Facebook and everything in between. It’s got me thinking, how has the power of social media affected the betting industry and vice versa?

Sports betting advertising has been going on for years now, but with the uprising of social media platforms and sports betting moving online, the two go hand-in-hand these days. Some major Australian sports betting companies have hundreds of thousands of followers – think Sportsbet, William Hill and CrownBet – but just how do they do it so well?

Well my friends, the secret is they understand their target market. Sounds simple, I know, but this is the first step to any great marketing strategy, and lots of people get it wrong. If you get that wrong everything else after may as well be wrong too. These companies have understood the best demographic to target through these mediums and have stuck with a targeted approach, communicating with young adults in a humorous manner. Lets take a closer look at the market leader Sportsbet…

Exhibit A – Sarcasm

Sportsbet posted this Paint-looking graphic in response to the disappointing Bledisloe Cup result.

Some sound tipping advice…

Exhibit B – Wit

This was posted just after Winx defeated Hartnell in the Cox Plate by a whopping eight lengths!

Exhibit C – Puns

This one speaks for itself, I mean who doesn’t love a good pun?!

But on a serious note, these guys have employed humorous sports commentary to embed betting into the recreation of watching sport. Many sports lovers follow these pages simply because they enjoy the content, however, that’s the trick with social media! Whether we realise it or not we are subtly being sold to over a long period of time. It does beg the question of social ethics surrounding gambling promotion to young adults. I’m going to leave you to make your own mind up on that!